Lovely Rose De Guzman

Theme: Exploring Philippine Wonders in Numbers: Statistics Towards Sustainable Tourism Development Perhaps one thing that we can take pride in as Filipinos is that our country has many wonders to showcase to the rest of the world. The Philippines is an archipelagic country endowed with abundant natural resources. Come to think of it, the Philippines is undeniably one of the richest countries in the world as far as biodiversity is concerned. Being a biodiversity hotspot, our country has the world’s largest number of endemic birds as well as a huge ecosystem of unique plant and animal species. Moreover, our country’s natural travel destinations such as the beaches, mountains, rainforests, diving spots, and the islands are astonishing enough to attract millions of visitors a year. Furthermore, our historical and cultural heritage such as the ancient churches, heritage towns, monuments, festivals, exotic cuisine, and indigenous traditions are also among the country’s popular tourist attractions. To validate how truly amazing a tourist destination our country is, let us look at the statistical data produced by the Department of Tourism regarding tourist influx this 2018. For the period of January to July 2018, international tourist arrivals to the Philippines rose by 9.7% to 4.3 million visitors compared to figures recorded in the same period last year, according to the Department of Tourism. Last year, the total number of visitors reached an all-time high record of 6,620,908 foreign tourists, with the highest number of tourist arrivals in January 2017 at 631,639 visitors, and the lowest in June 2017 at 474,854 visitors. What do these figures imply? They indicated that last year, the tourism sector was able to generate more revenues that contributed to the country’s GDP growth. Based on PSA statistical data, the tourism industries contributed 12.2 percent to the economy in 2017. Also the statistics suggested that more livelihood and employment opportunities were generated for Filipinos across the country, especially for the local people. Based on the data from the Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts (PTSA), about 5.3 million Filipinos were employed in the sector in 2017, which was higher by 0.9 percent compared to 5.2 million in the previous year. This means that more Filipino families are now given opportunities to earn a decent living. While it is true that tourism provides a significant contribution for the overall economic growth of the Philippines, the same can adversely impact the country’s economy if not properly maintained at all costs. This is where sustainable tourism comes into the picture. What is sustainable tourism and what can be done to make tourism sustainable? UNESCO defines sustainable tourism as a “tourism that respects both local people and the traveller, cultural heritage and the environment”. It means that while we accommodate tourists to appreciate the beauty and exploit the natural wealth of our country, we must still give priority to its preservation to minimize the negative social, economic and environmental impacts. A sustainable approach to tourism aims to generate greater economic benefits for local people, enhance the well-being of host communities and lastly provide a meaningful travelling experience to the tourists themselves. To be sustainable, our tourist destinations must be well-taken care of. Conservation of the environment and natural resources must be the topmost priority of the government when implementing a tourism policy or program. Generating more income is worthless when the environment suffers from the bad effects of tourism. Take the case of Boracay. It was once the country’s most popular tourist destination, but e few months ago, it had to undergo a rehabilitation due to the indiscriminate construction of buildings and infrastructure facilities and improper garbage disposal. The same thing happened to Mt. Pulag, where trekkers reportedly littered everywhere and left cigarette butts that caused fire flames to damage a portion of the mountains. To be sustainable, the national government, through the DOT and its attached agencies, and other resource-oriented departments like the DENR, DA, and DAR, as well as the LGUs and community stakeholders must work hand-in-hand in creating a program for sustainable tourism development, both at the national and the local level. One program that is worth accomplishing is to educate the local people and equip them with skills and training about sustainable tourism. This way, they will be able to properly manage and promote ecotourism in their community, and earn income from it. To be sustainable, residents and the travellers alike must observe all the necessary safety and cleanliness measures in all the tourist destinations and attractions. A simple signage prohibiting the improper garbage disposal and imposing a penalty for noncompliance will do good service to the environment and to everyone. Rules regarding environmental protection must be strictly enforced and people must comply with the rules obligingly. By the end of this year, the DOT targets to attract 7.8 million international tourist arrivals. Is this great for the economy? Certainly. We do not discount the fact with more foreign tourists visiting our country, we are able to generate thousands of jobs for the Filipinos and billions of pesos as revenue. But as discussed earlier, the influx of visitors can either have a positive or negative impact, depending on how we uphold and promote tourism in our country. As part of the younger generation, my advocacy is for a sustainable and responsible tourism, not only to attract more visitors into the country or earn foreign exchange, but more importantly, to ensure its viability for the future generations. With sustainable and responsible tourism, our children will have something to explore and appreciate about the Philippines in the years to come. Then and only then can we aptly declare DOT’s campaign slogan that, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”.